Who Killed Teddy Bear? (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Jan 30, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Joseph CatesRelease Date(s)
1965 (November 29, 2024)Studio(s)
Phillips Productions (Cinématographe/Vinegar Syndrome)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
Who Killed Teddy Bear? (or Who Killed Teddy Bear, as it’s actually styled during the opening credits) is a time capsule of a bygone era, thinly disguised as a sleazy exploitation thriller. It was a product of a time at which standards were relaxing, with the sexual revolution changing not just society at large, but also the way that it was reflected on film. While exploitation was always the primary goal for Who Killed Teddy Bear?, it ended up inadvertently documenting changes of a different sort. Despite the presence of A-list actors like Sal Mineo and Juliet Prowse, it was a low-budget affair, so director Joseph Cates had to film all of his Manhattan exteriors on the sly with no permits. (Bystanders even joined in a police pursuit during the finale, completely unaware of the fact that it was just being staged for a movie.) Needless to say, New York City has undergone many changes of its own since 1965, but since the plot takes one of the characters on a journey through the seediest areas of Times Square, Cates’ clandestine cameras captured glimpses of the lost district before it was cleaned up for good during the Eighties and Nineties. Who Killed Teddy Bear? is a curio in many regards, but it still provides an invaluable document of a Times Square that no longer exists.
The script for Who Killed Teddy Bear? was by Leon Tokatyan and Arnold Drake, the latter of whom was a comic book writer who would go on to help create the original Guardians of the Galaxy for the Marvel Super-Heroes series in 1969. But at this point in 1965, his super heroes still came to taste the flesh, not yet deceased. The pulpy story for Who Killed Teddy Bear? revolves around Nora (Prowse), an employee at a Manhattan discotheque who finds herself drawing plenty of unwanted attention from the patrons. The club’s owner Marian (Elaine Stritch) is generally supportive of Nora, and she also has the sympathetic ear of Lawrence (Sal Mineo), a shy waiter at the club. Nora’s difficulties take a turn for the worse when she becomes the target of an obscene caller, so she turns to the police, and Lt. Dave Madden (Jan Murray) takes an interest in her case. Madden’s wife had been raped and murdered, so he has become obsessed with deviancy of all sorts, as he explains to Nora:
“Some are fetishists, some are sadists, some are masochists, then there are the simple voyeurs, the pedophiliacs, but even that’s too neat, too much like rules. So, we have the combinations. And I’m not talking about your uncle Charlie, who buys pinup calendars, I mean the complicated pairing. The sadomasochist, the voyeur-masochist, the exhibitionists, the necrophiliacs.”
Madden’s interest in Nora becomes a wee bit too intense for comfort, and she even begins to suspect that he may be the caller. Unfortunately, his seemingly salacious intentions are matched by nearly everyone else in Nora’s life, with even Marian’s concern for Nora being driven by ulterior motives. Yet in a city where everyone appears to be a threat, sometimes it’s the least threatening people who turn out to pose the gravest danger. Who Killed Teddy Bear? also stars Margot Bennett, Daniel J. Travanti, Frank Campanella, and Bruce Glover.
While what follows hardly qualifies as a spoiler, since it’s pretty obvious from the opening credits (and you’ll read it in nearly any description of the film), but fair warning if you want to go into Who Killed Teddy Bear? as cold as possible. Unsurprisingly, It’s the shy and retiring Lawrence who is responsible for the obscene calls, and as the story advances, much, much worse than that. Lawrence has been shaped by childhood trauma and an obsession with sexuality of all sorts, and he vacillates between patronizing Times Square adult bookshops and theatres, trying to work off his erotic energies at the gym, and pleasuring himself while making obscene phone calls to Nora. Who Killed Teddy Bear? isn’t really a psychological thriller, because the way that it delves into Lawrence’s psyche doesn’t go much beyond the rudimentary level of the average slasher movie. The style of the film verges on noir, but the content is more akin to a giallo. That includes all the red herrings, with Lt. Madden’s obsessions appearing just as salacious as Lawrence’s, and even the seemingly kind Marian turns out to be driven by lesbian lust for Nora. The ultimate message of Who Killed Teddy Bear? seems to be: don’t trust anyone in the big city, because they all just want to get inside your pants. It’s a city where everyone has been traumatized, and they’re only too willing to pass that trauma along to others. The only way to break the cycle is to get out.
To get that point across, Who Killed Teddy Bear? pushed as many boundaries as it could for 1965, including (but not limited to) subject matter such as voyeurism, pornography, implied masturbation, homosexuality, gender fluidity, sexual assault, and even necrophilia. There’s no real nudity, aside from some indirect glimpses of it in the adult magazines that Lawrence peruses, but both Prowse and Mineo strip down to their underwear repeatedly, and Mineo gets to perform one of the most sweatily homoerotic workout routines ever put on film. Naturally, that kind of content led to some problems for Who Killed Teddy Bear? While the old Production Code was in the process of collapsing at that point, it had yet to be officially replaced by the new MPAA ratings system, so the film fell afoul of some unwanted attention of its own. Nearly four minutes of the strongest material was removed after the premiere, and the shortened version is the only one that’s been available ever since—although for the most part, Who Killed Teddy Bear? hasn’t been widely available in any form since 1965. So, it’s rather amazing that it’s now being offered in 4K, with every prurient detail lovingly reproduced by the Ultra HD format.
Cinematographer Joseph Brun shot Who Killed Teddy Bear? on 35mm film using spherical lenses, framed at 1.85:1 for its theatrical release. According to Vinegar Syndrome, this 4K version of the original uncut theatrical release is “newly restored from original 35mm negative materials,” graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 only. While that carefully worded description implies that this isn’t necessarily a straightforward restoration from the original camera negative, it’s not clear what the source was for the missing footage (although there’s a comment in the booklet that “more than one element was carefully blended” in order to produce the uncut version). Regardless, the restored footage blends seamlessly enough that it doesn’t really matter. What doesn’t blend as well is the dupe footage from the optical work like the opening titles, but that’s unavoidable. There are also some intentional distortion effects that soften the image. The bulk of the film is sharp and well-resolved, with refined textures for the suits and other costuming. There are a few small scratches and other debris visible, especially around the edges of the frame, but aside from a few more prominent scratches, most of it is of the single frame variety. The contrast range is outstanding, with deep blacks but plenty of depth to the shadows. Be forewarned that while the highlights look natural and filmic, they’re still bright enough in HDR that some of the strobe effects could be an issue for anyone sensitive to flashing lights, so caveat emptor. (Also, while the encoding is excellent, the booklet incorrectly credits Fidelity in Motion for the work—David Mackenzie has publicly stated that he wasn’t involved with this one.)
Audio is offered in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio, with optional English SDH subtitles. It’s a surprisingly clear track, almost too clear on the top end—the sibilants can be a little harsh, and there are a few crackles sprinkled throughout. The arch dialogue is still comprehensible throughout, and the music by Charles Calello (with songs Al Kasha and Bob Gaudio) is reproduced reasonably well, although the low end rolls off steeply.
Vinegar Syndrome’s 4K Ultra HD release of Who Killed Teddy Bear? is a two-disc set that includes a Blu-ray with a 1080p copy of the film. It’s part of their Cinématographe sub-label, and it’s currently available in a Limited Edition of 5,000 copies. The discs are contained in a simple but striking clothbound Mediabook with essays by Kyle Turner and John Charles. The Mediabook is housed in a J-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Tony Stella, with a handy ribbon to help remove the book. The whole package was designed by Haunt Love. The following extras are included, all of them in HD:
DISC ONE: UHD
- Audio Commentary by Elizabeth Purchell and KJ Shepherd
DISC TWO: BD
- Audio Commentary by Elizabeth Purchell and KJ Shepherd
- From Left Field (17:59)
- The Murder of Innocence (13:02)
- The Locations of Teddy Bear (12:06)
- Who Filmed Times Square (2:15)
- Archival Press Clippings (13 in all)
The commentary features queer historian and filmmaker Elizabeth Purchell, who is the curator of the Ask Any Buddy multimedia film project, paired with writer KJ Shepherd, who is an editor/producer/co-writer for the Ask Any Buddy podcast. They examine Who Killed Teddy Bear? from within and without, following whatever threads happen to interest them at any given moment. They discuss the history of the film (including the censorship issues), and also question what it’s trying to be—they even address whether or not the title should have a question mark, which may reflect the disconnect between the intentions of the filmmakers and that of the promoters. They do offer a few details about the cast and crew, with most of their interest naturally devoted to the life and tragic death of Sal Mineo (interestingly, they flatly reject any of the conspiracy theories surrounding what happened to him). It’s a freewheeling conversation more than a screen-specific commentary, but Purchell and Shepherd are always interesting to listen to.
From Left Field is an interview with distributor Mike Thomas, who first encountered Who Killed Teddy Bear? at one of the “grindhouses” in San Francisco, which he says were more like repertory theatres than what’s associated with them today. He later started Strand Releasing, which specialized in the kinds of LGBTQ-themed movies that other distributors wouldn’t touch, as well as exploitation fare like Russ Meyer. He tracked down the rights holder and had great success screening it, especially in New York City. He was impressed by the open homoeroticism espoused by the film.
The Murder of Innocence is a video essay by filmmaker Chris O’Neill, who opens by explaining the censorship issues in the U.K. faced by films like Who Killed Teddy Bear?, Lady in a Cage, The Wild Angels, and The Incident. He then breaks down Teddy Bear itself, placing it into context with other similar films from that era, and analyzing the story. He shows how it’s a tragic tale where characters who have been corrupted by the hardships that they have suffered go on to destroy the innocence of others.
Who Filmed Times Square is a location featurette hosted by former Fangoria editor-in-chief Michael Gingold, and given how much that Who Killed Teddy Bear? is a time capsule of a bygone era, it’s fascinating to see just how much the locations have changed. Gingold wasn’t able to track all of them down, since the only description that he had for a key scene with Elaine Stritch listed an intersection that couldn’t possibly exist, but he still hit the majority of the recognizable ones.
Last but definitely not least, the Archival Press Clippings are of real interest, since it includes original reviews from sources like Variety (as well as one from an unclear source that dismisses the film as a “sick movie about sick people”). There are also a couple of production stories about the film, including one about the unplanned intervention from bystanders while shooting the finale.
The only things that are missing from any previous releases of Who Killed Teddy Bear? aren’t directly related to the film itself. The DVD and Blu-ray from Network in the U.K. offered an episode of the television series Court Martial that featured Mineo, as well as a PSA about LSD that also featured Mineo. That’s about it. Who Killed Teddy Bear? has never before received this kind of love on a home video release, although to be fair, it’s never had a U.S. release at all, and it’s never been released uncut anywhere (the Network disc was the censored version.) And if you say that you had it on your 4K bingo card, I’m not going to believe you. But here it is, as large as life and twice as natural, in a gorgeous 4K presentation. To be fair, Cinématographe is all about giving love to these kinds of overlooked, underappreciated, or downright forgotten American films, and this is another fine feather in their cap.
-Stephen Bjork
(You can follow Stephen on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd).